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Lagarde J, Olivieri P, Tonietto M, Noiray C, Lehericy S, Valabrègue R, Caillé F, Gervais P, Moussion M, Bottlaender M, Sarazin M. Combined in vivo MRI assessment of locus coeruleus and nucleus basalis of Meynert integrity in amnestic Alzheimer's disease, suspected-LATE and frontotemporal dementia. Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:97. [PMID: 38702802 PMCID: PMC11067144 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01466-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The locus coeruleus (LC) and the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) are altered in early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Little is known about LC and NBM alteration in limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The aim of the present study is to investigate in vivo LC and NBM integrity in patients with suspected-LATE, early-amnestic AD and FTD in comparison with controls. METHODS Seventy-two participants (23 early amnestic-AD patients, 17 suspected-LATE, 17 FTD patients, defined by a clinical-biological diagnosis reinforced by amyloid and tau PET imaging, and 15 controls) underwent neuropsychological assessment and 3T brain MRI. We analyzed the locus coeruleus signal intensity (LC-I) and the NBM volume as well as their relation with cognition and with medial temporal/cortical atrophy. RESULTS We found significantly lower LC-I and NBM volume in amnestic-AD and suspected-LATE in comparison with controls. In FTD, we also observed lower NBM volume but a slightly less marked alteration of the LC-I, independently of the temporal or frontal phenotype. NBM volume was correlated with the global cognitive efficiency in AD patients. Strong correlations were found between NBM volume and that of medial temporal structures, particularly the amygdala in both AD and FTD patients. CONCLUSIONS The alteration of LC and NBM in amnestic-AD, presumed-LATE and FTD suggests a common vulnerability of these structures to different proteinopathies. Targeting the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems could be effective therapeutic strategies in LATE and FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Lagarde
- Department of Neurology of Memory and Language, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France.
- Université Paris-Saclay, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, F- 91401, France.
- Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France.
| | - Pauline Olivieri
- Department of Neurology of Memory and Language, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France
| | - Matteo Tonietto
- Université Paris-Saclay, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, F- 91401, France
| | - Camille Noiray
- Department of Neurology of Memory and Language, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Lehericy
- Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche - CENIR, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière - ICM, Paris, F-75013, France
- Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR S 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICM, Paris, F-75013, France
| | - Romain Valabrègue
- Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche - CENIR, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière - ICM, Paris, F-75013, France
- Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR S 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICM, Paris, F-75013, France
| | - Fabien Caillé
- Université Paris-Saclay, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, F- 91401, France
| | - Philippe Gervais
- Université Paris-Saclay, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, F- 91401, France
| | - Martin Moussion
- Centre d'Evaluation Troubles Psychiques et Vieillissement, GHU Paris Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, F-75014, France
| | - Michel Bottlaender
- Université Paris-Saclay, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, F- 91401, France
- UNIACT, Neurospin, Gif-sur-Yvette, CEA, F-91191, France
| | - Marie Sarazin
- Department of Neurology of Memory and Language, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot CEA, CNRS, Inserm, BioMaps, Orsay, F- 91401, France
- Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France
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Lin CP, Frigerio I, Bol JGJM, Bouwman MMA, Wesseling AJ, Dahl MJ, Rozemuller AJM, van der Werf YD, Pouwels PJW, van de Berg WDJ, Jonkman LE. Microstructural integrity of the locus coeruleus and its tracts reflect noradrenergic degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Transl Neurodegener 2024; 13:9. [PMID: 38336865 PMCID: PMC10854137 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-024-00400-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Degeneration of the locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic system contributes to clinical symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to evaluate the integrity of the LC noradrenergic system. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the diffusion MRI-measured integrity of the LC and its tracts are sensitive to noradrenergic degeneration in AD and PD. METHODS Post-mortem in situ T1-weighted and multi-shell diffusion MRI was performed for 9 AD, 14 PD, and 8 control brain donors. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity were derived from the LC, and from tracts between the LC and the anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the primary motor cortex (M1) or the hippocampus. Brain tissue sections of the LC and cortical regions were obtained and immunostained for dopamine-beta hydroxylase (DBH) to quantify noradrenergic cell density and fiber load. Group comparisons and correlations between outcome measures were performed using linear regression and partial correlations. RESULTS The AD and PD cases showed loss of LC noradrenergic cells and fibers. In the cortex, the AD cases showed increased DBH + immunoreactivity in the DLPFC compared to PD cases and controls, while PD cases showed reduced DBH + immunoreactivity in the M1 compared to controls. Higher FA within the LC was found for AD, which was correlated with loss of noradrenergic cells and fibers in the LC. Increased FA of the LC-DLPFC tract was correlated with LC noradrenergic fiber loss in the combined AD and control group, whereas the increased FA of the LC-M1 tract was correlated with LC noradrenergic neuronal loss in the combined PD and control group. The tract alterations were not correlated with cortical DBH + immunoreactivity. CONCLUSIONS In AD and PD, the diffusion MRI-detected alterations within the LC and its tracts to the DLPFC and the M1 were associated with local noradrenergic neuronal loss within the LC, rather than noradrenergic changes in the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Pei Lin
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Irene Frigerio
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John G J M Bol
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maud M A Bouwman
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alex J Wesseling
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Annemieke J M Rozemuller
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Pathology, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ysbrand D van der Werf
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Compulsivity, Impulsivity and Attention Program, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Petra J W Pouwels
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma D J van de Berg
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura E Jonkman
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Palermo G, Galgani A, Bellini G, Lombardo F, Martini N, Morganti R, Paoli D, De Cori S, Frijia F, Siciliano G, Ceravolo R, Giorgi FS. Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in Parkinson's disease: is there a role for locus coeruleus magnetic resonance imaging? J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:157-164. [PMID: 38032367 PMCID: PMC10791951 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02721-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Locus coeruleus (LC) is the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain, and degenerates early in Parkinson's disease (PD). The objective of this study is to test whether degeneration of the LC is associated with orthostatic hypotension (OH) in PD. A total of 22 cognitively intact PD patients and 52 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent 3 T magnetic resonance (MRI) with neuromelanin-sensitive T1-weighted sequences (LC-MRI). For each subject, a template space-based LC-MRI was used to calculate LC signal intensity (LC contrast ratio-LCCR) and the estimated number of voxels (LCVOX) belonging to LC. Then, we compared the LC-MRI parameters in PD patients with OH (PDOH+) versus without OH (PDOH-) (matched for sex, age, and disease duration) using one-way analysis of variance followed by multiple comparison tests. We also tested for correlations between subject's LC-MRI features and orthostatic drop in systolic blood pressure (SBP). PDOH- and PDOH+ did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) based on demographics and clinical characteristics, except for blood pressure measurements and SCOPA-AUT cardiovascular domain (p < 0.05). LCCR and LCVOX measures were significantly lower in PD compared to HC, while no differences were observed between PDOH- and PDOH+. Additionally, no correlation was found between the LC-MRI parameters and the orthostatic drop in SBP or the clinical severity of autonomic symptoms (p > 0.05). Conversely, RBD symptom severity negatively correlated with several LC-MRI parameters. Our results failed to indicate a link between the LC-MRI features and the presence of OH in PD but confirmed a marked alteration of LC signal in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Palermo
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Bellini
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Martini
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Davide Paoli
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara De Cori
- Department of Radiology, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Frijia
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
- Bioengineering Unit, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Siciliano
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberto Ceravolo
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
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Liu R, Guo Z, Li M, Liu S, Zhi Y, Jiang Z, Liang X, Hu H, Zhu J. Lower fractional dimension in Alzheimer's disease correlates with reduced locus coeruleus signal intensity. Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 106:24-30. [PMID: 37541457 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the pattern of fractional dimension (FD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and investigate the relationship between FD and the locus coeruleus (LC) signal intensity.A total of 27 patients with AD and 25 healthy controls (HC) were collected to estimate the pattern of fractional dimension (FD) and cortical thickness (CT) using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12), and statistically analyze between groups on a vertex level using statistical parametric mapping 12. In addition, they were examined by neuromelanin sensitive MRI(NM-MRI) technique to calculate the locus coeruleus signal contrast ratios (LC-CRs). Additionally, correlations between the pattern of FD and LC-CRs were further examined.Compared to HC, AD patients showed widespread lower CT and FD Furthermore, significant positive correlation was found between local fractional dimension (LFD) of the left rostral middle frontal cortex and LC-CRs. Results suggest lower cortical LFD is associated with LCCRs that may reflect a reduction due to broader neurodegenerative processes. This finding may highlight the potential utility for advanced measures of cortical complexity in assessing brain health and early identification of neurodegenerative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Zhiwen Guo
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Meng Li
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Shanwen Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Yuqi Zhi
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Zhen Jiang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Xiaoyun Liang
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Innovation, Neusoft Medical Systems Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200241, China; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3084, Australia
| | - Hua Hu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China.
| | - Jiangtao Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China.
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Galgani A, Giorgi FS. Exploring the Role of Locus Coeruleus in Alzheimer's Disease: a Comprehensive Update on MRI Studies and Implications. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2023; 23:925-936. [PMID: 38064152 PMCID: PMC10724305 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-023-01324-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Performing a thorough review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies assessing locus coeruleus (LC) integrity in ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and contextualizing them with current preclinical and neuropathological literature. RECENT FINDINGS MRI successfully detected LC alterations in ageing and AD, identifying degenerative phenomena involving this nucleus even in the prodromal stages of the disorder. The degree of LC disruption was also associated with the severity of AD cortical pathology, cognitive and behavioral impairment, and the risk of clinical progression. Locus coeruleus-MRI has proved to be a useful tool to assess the integrity of the central noradrenergic system in vivo in humans. It allowed to test in patients preclinical and experimental hypothesis, thus confirming the specific and marked involvement of the LC in AD and its key pathogenetic role. Locus coeruleus-MRI-related data might represent the theoretical basis on which to start developing noradrenergic drugs to target AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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Mazancieux A, Mauconduit F, Amadon A, Willem de Gee J, Donner TH, Meyniel F. Brainstem fMRI signaling of surprise across different types of deviant stimuli. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113405. [PMID: 37950868 PMCID: PMC10698303 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Detection of deviant stimuli is crucial to orient and adapt our behavior. Previous work shows that deviant stimuli elicit phasic activation of the locus coeruleus (LC), which releases noradrenaline and controls central arousal. However, it is unclear whether the detection of behaviorally relevant deviant stimuli selectively triggers LC responses or other neuromodulatory systems (dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine). We combine human functional MRI (fMRI) recordings optimized for brainstem imaging with pupillometry to perform a mapping of deviant-related responses in subcortical structures. Participants have to detect deviant items in a "local-global" paradigm that distinguishes between deviance based on the stimulus probability and the sequence structure. fMRI responses to deviant stimuli are distributed in many cortical areas. Both types of deviance elicit responses in the pupil, LC, and other neuromodulatory systems. Our results reveal that the detection of task-relevant deviant items recruits the same multiple subcortical systems across computationally different types of deviance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Mazancieux
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.
| | - Franck Mauconduit
- NeuroSpin, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
| | - Alexis Amadon
- NeuroSpin, CEA, CNRS, BAOBAB, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jan Willem de Gee
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tobias H Donner
- Section Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florent Meyniel
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Institut de neuromodulation, GHU Paris, psychiatrie et neurosciences, centre hospitalier Sainte-Anne, pôle hospitalo-universitaire 15, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
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Bachman SL, Cole S, Yoo HJ, Nashiro K, Min J, Mercer N, Nasseri P, Thayer JF, Lehrer P, Mather M. Daily heart rate variability biofeedback training decreases locus coeruleus MRI contrast in younger adults in a randomized clinical trial. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 193:112241. [PMID: 37647944 PMCID: PMC10591988 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
As an arousal hub region in the brain, the locus coeruleus (LC) has bidirectional connections with the autonomic nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based measures of LC structural integrity have been linked to cognition and arousal, but less is known about factors that influence LC structure and function across time. Here, we tested the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, an intervention targeting the autonomic nervous system, on LC MRI contrast and sympathetic activity. Younger and older participants completed daily HRV biofeedback training for five weeks. Those assigned to an experimental condition performed biofeedback involving slow, paced breathing designed to increase heart rate oscillations, whereas those assigned to a control condition performed biofeedback to decrease heart rate oscillations. At the pre- and post-training timepoints, LC contrast was assessed using turbo spin echo MRI scans, and RNA sequencing was used to assess cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-regulated gene expression in circulating blood cells, an index of sympathetic nervous system signaling. We found that left LC contrast decreased in younger participants in the experimental group, and across younger participants, decreases in left LC contrast were related to the extent to which participants increased their heart rate oscillations during training. Furthermore, decreases in left LC contrast were associated with decreased expression of CREB-associated gene transcripts. On the contrary, there were no effects of biofeedback on LC contrast among older participants in the experimental group. These findings provide novel evidence that in younger adults, HRV biofeedback involving slow, paced breathing can decrease both LC contrast and sympathetic nervous system signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby L Bachman
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Steve Cole
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
| | - Hyun Joo Yoo
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Kaoru Nashiro
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Jungwon Min
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Noah Mercer
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Padideh Nasseri
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Julian F Thayer
- University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Paul Lehrer
- Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08852, United States of America
| | - Mara Mather
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America.
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Koshmanova E, Berger A, Beckers E, Campbell I, Mortazavi N, Sharifpour R, Paparella I, Balda F, Berthomier C, Degueldre C, Salmon E, Lamalle L, Bastin C, Van Egroo M, Phillips C, Maquet P, Collette F, Muto V, Chylinski D, Jacobs HI, Talwar P, Sherif S, Vandewalle G. Locus coeruleus activity while awake is associated with REM sleep quality in older individuals. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e172008. [PMID: 37698926 PMCID: PMC10619502 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.172008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDThe locus coeruleus (LC) is the primary source of norepinephrine in the brain and regulates arousal and sleep. Animal research shows that it plays important roles in the transition between sleep and wakefulness, and between slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). It is unclear, however, whether the activity of the LC predicts sleep variability in humans.METHODSWe used 7-Tesla functional MRI, sleep electroencephalography (EEG), and a sleep questionnaire to test whether the LC activity during wakefulness was associated with sleep quality in 33 healthy younger (~22 years old; 28 women, 5 men) and 19 older (~61 years old; 14 women, 5 men) individuals.RESULTSWe found that, in older but not in younger participants, higher LC activity, as probed during an auditory attentional task, was associated with worse subjective sleep quality and with lower power over the EEG theta band during REMS. The results remained robust even when accounting for the age-related changes in the integrity of the LC.CONCLUSIONThese findings suggest that LC activity correlates with the perception of the sleep quality and an essential oscillatory mode of REMS, and we found that the LC may be an important target in the treatment of sleep- and age-related diseases.FUNDINGThis work was supported by Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS, T.0242.19 & J. 0222.20), Action de Recherche Concertée - Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (ARC SLEEPDEM 17/27-09), Fondation Recherche Alzheimer (SAO-FRA 2019/0025), ULiège, and European Regional Development Fund (Radiomed & Biomed-Hub).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Koshmanova
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Berger
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Brussels, Belgium
- Synergia Medical SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
| | - Elise Beckers
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Islay Campbell
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Nasrin Mortazavi
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Roya Sharifpour
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Ilenia Paparella
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Fermin Balda
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Christian Degueldre
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Eric Salmon
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Neurology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Liège, Belgium
- PsyNCog and
| | - Laurent Lamalle
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Christine Bastin
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- PsyNCog and
| | - Maxime Van Egroo
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christophe Phillips
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- In Silico Medicine Unit, GIGA-Institute, ULiège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Pierre Maquet
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Neurology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Fabienne Collette
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- PsyNCog and
| | - Vincenzo Muto
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Daphne Chylinski
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Heidi I.L. Jacobs
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Puneet Talwar
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Siya Sherif
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Gilles Vandewalle
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
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Bell TR, Elman JA, Beck A, Fennema-Notestine C, Gustavson DE, Hagler DJ, Jak AJ, Lyons MJ, Puckett OK, Toomey R, Franz CE, Kremen WS. Rostral-middle locus coeruleus integrity and subjective cognitive decline in early old age. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2023; 29:763-774. [PMID: 36524301 PMCID: PMC10272292 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617722000881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Abnormal tau, a hallmark Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, may appear in the locus coeruleus (LC) decades before AD symptom onset. Reports of subjective cognitive decline are also often present prior to formal diagnosis. Yet, the relationship between LC structural integrity and subjective cognitive decline has remained unexplored. Here, we aimed to explore these potential associations. METHODS We examined 381 community-dwelling men (mean age = 67.58; SD = 2.62) in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging who underwent LC-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Everyday Cognition scale to measure subjective cognitive decline along with their selected informants. Mixed models examined the associations between rostral-middle and caudal LC integrity and subjective cognitive decline after adjusting for depressive symptoms, physical morbidities, and family. Models also adjusted for current objective cognitive performance and objective cognitive decline to explore attenuation. RESULTS For participant ratings, lower rostral-middle LC contrast to noise ratio (LCCNR) was associated with significantly greater subjective decline in memory, executive function, and visuospatial abilities. For informant ratings, lower rostral-middle LCCNR was associated with significantly greater subjective decline in memory only. Associations remained after adjusting for current objective cognition and objective cognitive decline in respective domains. CONCLUSIONS Lower rostral-middle LC integrity is associated with greater subjective cognitive decline. Although not explained by objective cognitive performance, such a relationship may explain increased AD risk in people with subjective cognitive decline as the LC is an important neural substrate important for higher order cognitive processing, attention, and arousal and one of the first sites of AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Jeremy A. Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Asad Beck
- Center for Neurotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Daniel E. Gustavson
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Donald J. Hagler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Amy J. Jak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 02215
| | - Olivia K. Puckett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Rosemary Toomey
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 02215
| | - Carol E. Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - William S. Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
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10
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Neal J, Song I, Katz B, Lee TH. Association of Intrinsic Functional Connectivity between the Locus Coeruleus and Salience Network with Attentional Ability. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:1557-1569. [PMID: 37584586 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a brainstem region associated with broad neural arousal because of norepinephrine production, but it has increasingly been associated with specific cognitive processes. These include sustained attention, with deficits associated with various neuropsychological disorders. Neural models of attention deficits have focused on interrupted dynamics between the salience network (SAL) with the frontoparietal network, which has been associated with task-switching and processing of external stimuli, respectively. Conflicting findings for these regions suggest the possibility of upstream signaling leading to attention dysfunction, and recent research suggests LC involvement. In this study, resting-state functional connectivity and behavioral performance on an attention task was examined within 584 individuals. Analysis revealed significant clusters connected to LC activity in the SAL. Given previous findings that attention deficits may be caused by SAL network switching dysfunctions, findings here further suggest that dysfunction in LC-SAL connectivity may impair attention.
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11
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Prokopiou PC, Engels-Domínguez N, Schultz AP, Sepulcre J, Koops EA, Papp KV, Marshall GA, Normandin MD, El Fakhri G, Rentz D, Sperling RA, Johnson KA, Jacobs HIL. Association of Novelty-Related Locus Coeruleus Function With Entorhinal Tau Deposition and Memory Decline in Preclinical Alzheimer Disease. Neurology 2023; 101:e1206-e1217. [PMID: 37491329 PMCID: PMC10516269 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The predictable Braak staging scheme suggests that cortical tau progression may be related to synaptically connected neurons. Animal and human neuroimaging studies demonstrated that changes in neuronal activity contribute to tau spreading. Whether similar mechanisms explain tau progression from the locus coeruleus (LC), a tiny noradrenergic brainstem nucleus involved in novelty, learning, and memory and among the earliest regions to accumulate tau, has not yet been established. We aimed to investigate whether novelty-related LC activity was associated with the accumulation of cortical tau and its implications for cognitive decline. METHODS We combined functional MRI data of a novel vs repeated face-name learning paradigm, [18F]-FTP-PET, [11C]-PiB-PET, and longitudinal cognitive data from 92 well-characterized older individuals in the Harvard Aging Brain Study. We related novelty vs repetition LC activity to cortical tau deposition and to longitudinal decline in memory, executive function, and the Preclinical Alzheimer Disease Cognitive Composite (version 5; PACC5). Structural equation modeling was used to examine whether entorhinal cortical (EC) tau mediated the relationship between LC activity and cognitive decline and whether this depended on beta-amyloid deposition. RESULTS The participants' average age at baseline was 69.67 ± 10.14 years. Fifty-one participants were female. Ninety-one participants were cognitively normal (CDR global = 0), and one participant had mild cognitive impairment (CDR global = 0.5) at baseline. Lower novelty-related LC activity was specifically related to greater tau deposition in the medial-lateral temporal cortex and steeper memory decline. LC activity during novelty vs repetition was not related to executive dysfunction or decline on the PACC5. The relationship between LC activity and memory decline was partially mediated by EC tau, particularly in individuals with elevated beta-amyloid deposition. DISCUSSION Our results suggested that lower novelty-related LC activity is associated with the emergence of EC tau and that the downstream effects of this LC-EC pathway on memory decline also require the presence of elevated beta-amyloid. Longitudinal studies are required to investigate whether optimal LC activity has the potential to delay tau spread and memory decline, which may have implications for designing targeted interventions promoting resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prokopis C Prokopiou
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Nina Engels-Domínguez
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Aaron P Schultz
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Elouise A Koops
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kathryn V Papp
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Gad A Marshall
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Marc D Normandin
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Georges El Fakhri
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dorene Rentz
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
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Dahl MJ, Bachman SL, Dutt S, Düzel S, Bodammer NC, Lindenberger U, Kühn S, Werkle-Bergner M, Mather M. The integrity of dopaminergic and noradrenergic brain regions is associated with different aspects of late-life memory performance. Nat Aging 2023; 3:1128-1143. [PMID: 37653256 PMCID: PMC10501910 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00469-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Changes in dopaminergic neuromodulation play a key role in adult memory decline. Recent research has also implicated noradrenaline in shaping late-life memory. However, it is unclear whether these two neuromodulators have distinct roles in age-related cognitive changes. Here, combining longitudinal MRI of the dopaminergic substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area (SN-VTA) and noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) in younger (n = 69) and older (n = 251) adults, we found that dopaminergic and noradrenergic integrity are differentially associated with memory performance. While LC integrity was related to better episodic memory across several tasks, SN-VTA integrity was linked to working memory. Longitudinally, we found that older age was associated with more negative change in SN-VTA and LC integrity. Notably, changes in LC integrity reliably predicted future episodic memory. These differential associations of dopaminergic and noradrenergic nuclei with late-life cognitive decline have potential clinical utility, given their degeneration in several age-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Shelby L Bachman
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shubir Dutt
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nils C Bodammer
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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13
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruiz E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts M, Jacobs HIL, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus and their implications for cognitive and affective functions. eLife 2023; 12:RP87188. [PMID: 37650882 PMCID: PMC10471162 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging, and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here, we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years of age (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project [HCP] 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory, and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography, and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgMölndalSweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University HospitalMölndalSweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCLLondonUnited Kingdom
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water BayHong KongChina
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | - Matthew Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
| | - Heidi IL Jacobs
- Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtNetherlands
- Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Joana B Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund UniversityLundSweden
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14
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Chen HY, Marxen M, Dahl MJ, Glöckner F. Effects of Adult Age and Functioning of the Locus Coeruleus Norepinephrinergic System on Reward-Based Learning. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6185-6196. [PMID: 37541835 PMCID: PMC10476638 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2006-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related impairments in value representations and updating during decision-making and reward-based learning are often related to age-related attenuation in the catecholamine system such as dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). However, it is unclear to what extent age-related declines in NE functioning in humans affect reward-based decision-making. We conducted a probabilistic decision-making task and applied a Q-learning model to investigate participants' anticipatory values and value sensitivities. Task-related pupil dilations and locus coeruleus (LC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast, which served as a potential window of the LC-NE functions, were assessed in younger and older adults. Results showed that in both choice and feedback phases, younger adults' (N = 42, 22 males) pupil dilations negatively correlated with anticipatory values, indicating uncertainty about outcome probabilities. Uncertainty-evoked pupil dilations in older adults (N = 41, 27 males) were smaller, indicating age-related impairments in value estimation and updating. In both age groups, participants who showed a larger uncertainty-evoked pupil dilation exhibited a higher value sensitivity as reflected in the β parameter of the reinforcement Q-learning model. Furthermore, older adults (N = 34, 29 males) showed a lower LC-MRI contrast than younger adults (N = 25, 15 males). The LC-MRI contrast positively correlated with value sensitivity only in older but not in younger adults. These findings suggest that task-related pupillary responses can reflect age-related deficits in value estimation and updating during reward-based decision-making. Our evidence with the LC-MRI contrast further showed the age-related decline of the LC structure in modulating value representations during reward-based learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related impairments in value representation and updating during reward-based learning are associated with declines in the catecholamine modulation with age. However, it is unclear how age-related declines in the LC-NE system may affect reward-based learning. Here, we show that compared with younger adults, older adults exhibited reduced uncertainty-induced pupil dilations, suggesting age-related deficits in value estimation and updating. Older adults showed a lower structural MRI of the LC contrast than younger adults, indicating age-related degeneration of the LC structure. The association between the LC-MRI contrast and value sensitivity was only observed in older adults. Our findings may demonstrate a pioneering model to unravel the role of the LC-NE system in reward-based learning in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Yu Chen
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Methods of Psychology and Cognitive Modeling, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Marxen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Franka Glöckner
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
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15
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Liu Q, Wang P, Liu C, Xue F, Wang Q, Chen Y, Hou R, Chen T. An investigation of neuromelanin distribution in substantia nigra and locus coeruleus in patients with Parkinson's disease using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI. BMC Neurol 2023; 23:301. [PMID: 37580712 PMCID: PMC10424360 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03350-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss of neuromelanin in the midbrain is known in Parkinson's disease(PD), which can now be directly detected by neuromelanin-sensitive MRI(NM-MRI). This case-control study was to investigate the distribution of neuromelanin in the substantia nigra(SN) and the locus coeruleus(LC) using NM-MRI technique and evaluate its potential as a diagnostic marker for PD. 10 early PD patients(H&Y stage I, II), 11 progressive PD patients(H&Y stage III-V), and 10 healthy controls matched in age and gender were recruited. All participants completed clinical and psychometric assessments as well as NM-MRI scans. Neuromelanin signal intensities in SN and LC were measured by contrast-to-noise ratios(CNRs) derived from NM-MRI scans. There were significant decreases of CNRs in SNpc(including anterior, central, and posterior) and LC in PD patients compared to controls. There were also significant differences of CNR between the left and right sides. CNR in LC had a negative correlation with the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale(NMSS) score in PD patients(|R|=0.49), whereas CNR in SNpc did not correlate with Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS) score(|R|<0.3). The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves revealed that the CNR in LC had a high diagnostic specificity of 90.1% in progressive patients. This study provides new evidence for the asymmetric distribution of neuromelanin in SN and the LC of patients with PD. The neuromelanin loss is bilateral and more predominately in LC than that in SN. This distinct neuromelanin distribution pattern may offer a potential diagnostic marker and a potential neuropharmacological intervention target for PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Pan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Chenghe Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Feng Xue
- Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yuqing Chen
- School of Clinical Medicine Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ruihua Hou
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
| | - Teng Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China.
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16
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Wolters AF, Heijmans M, Priovoulos N, Jacobs HIL, Postma AA, Temel Y, Kuijf ML, Michielse S. Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson's disease and controls. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103479. [PMID: 37494758 PMCID: PMC10394012 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuromelanin related signal changes in catecholaminergic nuclei are considered as a promising MRI biomarker in Parkinson's disease (PD). Until now, most studies have investigated the substantia nigra (SN), while signal changes might be more prominent in the locus coeruleus (LC). Ultra-high field MRI improves the visualisation of these small brainstem regions and might support the development of imaging biomarkers in PD. OBJECTIVES To compare signal intensity of the SN and LC on Magnetization Transfer MRI between PD patients and healthy controls (HC) and to explore its association with cognitive performance in PD. METHODS This study was conducted using data from the TRACK-PD study, a longitudinal 7T MRI study. A total of 78 early-stage PD patients and 36 HC were included. A mask for the SN and LC was automatically segmented and manually corrected. Neuromelanin related signal intensity of the SN and LC was compared between PD and HC. RESULTS PD participants showed a lower contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the right SN (p = 0.029) and left LC (p = 0.027). After adding age as a confounder, the CNR of the right SN did not significantly differ anymore between PD and HC (p = 0.055). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between the SN CNR and memory function. DISCUSSION This study confirms that neuromelanin related signal intensity of the LC differs between early-stage PD patients and HC. No significant difference was found in the SN. This supports the theory of bottom-up disease progression in PD. Furthermore, loss of SN integrity might influence working memory or learning capabilities in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amée F Wolters
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Margot Heijmans
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Nikos Priovoulos
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Alida A Postma
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
| | - Yasin Temel
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neurosurgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark L Kuijf
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stijn Michielse
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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17
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Lloyd B, de Voogd LD, Mäki-Marttunen V, Nieuwenhuis S. Pupil size reflects activation of subcortical ascending arousal system nuclei during rest. eLife 2023; 12:e84822. [PMID: 37367220 PMCID: PMC10299825 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulatory nuclei that are part of the ascending arousal system (AAS) play a crucial role in regulating cortical state and optimizing task performance. Pupil diameter, under constant luminance conditions, is increasingly used as an index of activity of these AAS nuclei. Indeed, task-based functional imaging studies in humans have begun to provide evidence of stimulus-driven pupil-AAS coupling. However, whether there is such a tight pupil-AAS coupling during rest is not clear. To address this question, we examined simultaneously acquired resting-state fMRI and pupil-size data from 74 participants, focusing on six AAS nuclei: the locus coeruleus, ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, dorsal and median raphe nuclei, and cholinergic basal forebrain. Activation in all six AAS nuclei was optimally correlated with pupil size at 0-2 s lags, suggesting that spontaneous pupil changes were almost immediately followed by corresponding BOLD-signal changes in the AAS. These results suggest that spontaneous changes in pupil size that occur during states of rest can be used as a noninvasive general index of activity in AAS nuclei. Importantly, the nature of pupil-AAS coupling during rest appears to be vastly different from the relatively slow canonical hemodynamic response function that has been used to characterize task-related pupil-AAS coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Lloyd
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden UniversityLeidenNetherlands
| | - Lycia D de Voogd
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University NijmegenNijmegenNetherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegenNetherlands
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18
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Tang Y, Cao M, Li Y, Lin Y, Wu X, Chen M. Altered structural covariance of locus coeruleus in individuals with significant memory concern and patients with mild cognitive impairment. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8523-8533. [PMID: 37130822 PMCID: PMC10321106 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the site where tau accumulation is preferentially observed pathologically in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, but the changes in gray matter co-alteration patterns between the LC and the whole brain in the predementia phase of AD remain unclear. In this study, we estimated and compared the gray matter volume of the LC and its structural covariance (SC) with the whole brain among 161 normal healthy controls (HCs), 99 individuals with significant memory concern (SMC) and 131 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We found that SC decreased in MCI groups, which mainly involved the salience network and default mode network. These results imply that seeding from LC, the gray matter network disruption and disconnection appears early in the MCI group. The altered SC network seeding from the LC can serve as an imaging biomarker for discriminating the patients in the potential predementia phase of AD from the normal subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingmei Tang
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Minghui Cao
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Yunhua Li
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuting Lin
- School of Psychology, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, No.55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- School of Psychology, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, No.55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China
| | - Meiwei Chen
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
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19
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Wang X, Huang P, Haacke EM, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Jin Z, Li Y, Xu Q, Liu P, Chen S, He N, Yan F. Locus coeruleus and substantia nigra neuromelanin magnetic resonance imaging differentiates Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 38:103420. [PMID: 37141646 PMCID: PMC10176060 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Differential diagnosis of essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) can still be a challenge in clinical practice. These two tremor disorders may have different pathogenesis related to the substantia nigra (SN) and locus coeruleus (LC). Characterizing neuromelanin (NM) in these structures may help improve the differential diagnosis. METHODS Forty-three subjects with tremor-dominant PD (PDTD), 31 subjects with ET, and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. All subjects were scanned with NM magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI). NM volume and contrast measures for the SN and contrast for the LC were evaluated. Logistic regression was used to calculate predicted probabilities by using the combination of SN and LC NM measures. The discriminative power of the NM measures in detecting subjects with PDTD from ET was assessed with a receiver operative characteristic curve, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS The NM contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the LC, the NM volume, and CNR of the SN on the right and left sides were significantly lower in PDTD subjects than in ET subjects or healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, when combining the best model constructed from the NM measures, the AUC reached 0.92 in differentiating PDTD from ET. CONCLUSION The NM volume and contrast measures of the SN and contrast for the LC provided a new perspective on the differential diagnosis of PDTD and ET, and the investigation of the underlying pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhui Wang
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Pei Huang
- From the Department of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Ewart Mark Haacke
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, 3990 John R, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Radiology, Wayne State University, 3990 John R, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Neurology, Wayne State University, 3990 John R, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Yu Liu
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Youmin Zhang
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Zhijia Jin
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yan Li
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Qiuyun Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, 3990 John R, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Peng Liu
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Shengdi Chen
- From the Department of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China.
| | - Naying He
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China.
| | - Fuhua Yan
- From the Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No.197 Ruijin Er Road, Shanghai 200025, China.
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20
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Eckert MA, Iuricich F, Harris KC, Hamlett ED, Vazey EM, Aston-Jones G. Locus coeruleus and dorsal cingulate morphology contributions to slowed processing speed. Neuropsychologia 2023; 179:108449. [PMID: 36528219 PMCID: PMC9906468 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Slowed information processing speed is a defining feature of cognitive aging. Nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and medial prefrontal regions are targets for understanding slowed processing speed because these brain regions influence neural and behavioral response latencies through their roles in optimizing task performance. Although structural measures of medial prefrontal cortex have been consistently related to processing speed, it is unclear if 1) declines in LC structure underlie this association because of reciprocal connections between LC and medial prefrontal cortex, or 2) if LC declines provide a separate explanation for age-related changes in processing speed. LC and medial prefrontal structural measures were predicted to explain age-dependent individual differences in processing speed in a cross-sectional sample of 43 adults (19-79 years; 63% female). Higher turbo-spin echo LC contrast, based on a persistent homology measure, and greater dorsal cingulate cortical thickness were significantly and each uniquely related to faster processing speed. However, only dorsal cingulate cortical thickness appeared to statistically mediate age-related differences in processing speed. The results suggest that individual differences in cognitive processing speed can be attributed, in part, to structural variation in nucleus LC and medial prefrontal cortex, with the latter key to understanding why older adults exhibit slowed processing speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA.
| | - Federico Iuricich
- Visual Computing Division, School of Computing, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., 29634, USA
| | - Kelly C Harris
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Eric D Hamlett
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003-9297, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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21
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Liebe T, Dordevic M, Kaufmann J, Avetisyan A, Skalej M, Müller N. Investigation of the functional pathogenesis of mild cognitive impairment by localisation-based locus coeruleus resting-state fMRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:5630-5642. [PMID: 36441846 PMCID: PMC9704796 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Dementia as one of the most prevalent diseases urges for a better understanding of the central mechanisms responsible for clinical symptoms, and necessitates improvement of actual diagnostic capabilities. The brainstem nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) is a promising target for early diagnosis because of its early structural alterations and its relationship to the functional disturbances in the patients. In this study, we applied our improved method of localisation-based LC resting-state fMRI to investigate the differences in central sensory signal processing when comparing functional connectivity (fc) of a patient group with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 28) and an age-matched healthy control group (n = 29). MCI and control participants could be differentiated in their Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE) scores (p < .001) and LC intensity ratio (p = .010). In the fMRI, LC fc to anterior cingulate cortex (FDR p < .001) and left anterior insula (FDR p = .012) was elevated, and LC fc to right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ, FDR p = .012) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC, FDR p = .021) was decreased in the patient group. Importantly, LC to rTPJ connectivity was also positively correlated to MMSE scores in MCI patients (p = .017). Furthermore, we found a hyperactivation of the left-insula salience network in the MCI patients. Our results and our proposed disease model shed new light on the functional pathogenesis of MCI by directing to attentional network disturbances, which could aid new therapeutic strategies and provide a marker for diagnosis and prediction of disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Liebe
- Department of PsychiatryMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Department of RadiologyUniversity Hospital JenaJenaGermany
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity Hospital JenaJenaGermany
- Clinical Affective Neuroimaging LaboratoryLeibniz Institute for NeurobiologyMagdeburgGermany
| | - Milos Dordevic
- Department of Degenerative and Chronic DiseasesUniversity PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Jörn Kaufmann
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
| | - Araks Avetisyan
- Neuroprotection LabGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)MagdeburgGermany
| | - Martin Skalej
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinic and Policlinic of RadiologyUniversity Hospital HalleHalleGermany
| | - Notger Müller
- Department of Degenerative and Chronic DiseasesUniversity PotsdamPotsdamGermany
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22
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Elman JA, Puckett OK, Hagler DJ, Pearce RC, Fennema-Notestine C, Hatton SN, Lyons MJ, McEvoy LK, Panizzon MS, Reas ET, Dale AM, Franz CE, Kremen WS. Associations between MRI-assessed locus coeruleus integrity and cortical gray matter microstructure. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4191-4203. [PMID: 34969072 PMCID: PMC9528780 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is one of the earliest sites of tau pathology, making it a key structure in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. As the primary source of norepinephrine for the brain, reduced LC integrity may have negative consequences for brain health, yet macrostructural brain measures (e.g. cortical thickness) may not be sensitive to early stages of neurodegeneration. We therefore examined whether LC integrity was associated with differences in cortical gray matter microstructure among 435 men (mean age = 67.5; range = 62-71.7). LC structural integrity was indexed by contrast-to-noise ratio (LCCNR) from a neuromelanin-sensitive MRI scan. Restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), an advanced multi-shell diffusion technique, was used to characterize cortical microstructure, modeling total diffusion in restricted, hindered, and free water compartments. Higher LCCNR (greater integrity) was associated with higher hindered and lower free water diffusion in multiple cortical regions. In contrast, no associations between LCCNR and cortical thickness survived correction. Results suggest lower LC integrity is associated with patterns of cortical microstructure that may reflect a reduction in cytoarchitectural barriers due to broader neurodegenerative processes. These findings highlight the potential utility for LC imaging and advanced diffusion measures of cortical microstructure in assessing brain health and early identification of neurodegenerative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Olivia K Puckett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Donald J Hagler
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Rahul C Pearce
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sean N Hatton
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Linda K McEvoy
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Matthew S Panizzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Emilie T Reas
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Anders M Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Carol E Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - William S Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Health Care System, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA
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Ye R, O'Callaghan C, Rua C, Hezemans FH, Holland N, Malpetti M, Jones PS, Barker RA, Williams‐Gray CH, Robbins TW, Passamonti L, Rowe J. Locus Coeruleus Integrity from 7 T MRI Relates to Apathy and Cognition in Parkinsonian Disorders. Mov Disord 2022; 37:1663-1672. [PMID: 35576973 PMCID: PMC9541468 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurodegeneration in the locus coeruleus (LC) contributes to neuropsychiatric symptoms in both Parkinson's disease (PD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Spatial precision of LC imaging is improved with ultrahigh field 7 T magnetic resonance imaging. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to characterize the spatial patterns of LC pathological change in PD and PSP and the transdiagnostic relationship between LC signals and neuropsychiatric symptoms. METHODS Twenty-five people with idiopathic PD, 14 people with probable PSP-Richardson's syndrome, and 24 age-matched healthy controls were recruited. Participants underwent clinical assessments and high-resolution (0.08 mm3 ) 7 T-magnetization-transfer imaging to measure LC integrity in vivo. Spatial patterns of LC change were obtained using subregional mean contrast ratios and significant LC clusters; we further correlated the LC contrast with measures of apathy and cognition, using both mixed-effect models and voxelwise analyses. RESULTS PSP and PD groups showed significant LC degeneration in the caudal subregion relative to controls. Mixed-effect models revealed a significant interaction between disease-group and apathy-related correlations with LC degeneration (β = 0.46, SE [standard error] = 0.17, F(1, 35) = 7.46, P = 0.01), driven by a strong correlation in PSP (β = -0.58, SE = 0.21, t(35) = -2.76, P = 0.009). Across both disease groups, voxelwise analyses indicated that lower LC integrity was associated with worse cognition and higher apathy scores. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between LC and nonmotor symptoms highlights a role for noradrenergic dysfunction across both PD and PSP, confirming the potential for noradrenergic therapeutic strategies to address transdiagnostic cognitive and behavioral features in neurodegenerative disease. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Ye
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical SciencesFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of SydneySydneyAustralia
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Catarina Rua
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Frank H. Hezemans
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Negin Holland
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Maura Malpetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - P. Simon Jones
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Roger A. Barker
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain RepairUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust—Medical Research Council Stem Cell InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Caroline H. Williams‐Gray
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain RepairUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia MolecolareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCefalùItaly
| | - James Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
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Solders SK, Galinsky VL, Clark AL, Sorg SF, Weigand AJ, Bondi MW, Frank LR. Diffusion MRI tractography of the locus coeruleus-transentorhinal cortex connections using GO-ESP. Magn Reson Med 2022; 87:1816-1831. [PMID: 34792198 PMCID: PMC8810611 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The locus coeruleus (LC) is implicated as an early site of protein pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau pathology is hypothesized to propagate in a prion-like manner along the LC-transentorhinal cortex (TEC) white matter (WM) pathway, leading to atrophy of the entorhinal cortex and adjacent cortical regions in a progressive and stereotypical manner. However, WM damage along the LC-TEC pathway may be an earlier observable change that can improve detection of preclinical AD. THEORY AND METHODS Diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) allows reconstruction of WM pathways in vivo, offering promising potential to examine this pathway and enhance our understanding of neural mechanisms underlying the preclinical phase of AD. However, standard dMRI analysis tools have generally been unable to reliably reconstruct this pathway. We apply a novel method, geometric-optics based entropy spectrum pathways (GO-ESP) and produce a new measure of connectivity: the equilibrium probability (EP). RESULTS We demonstrated reliable reconstruction of LC-TEC pathways in 50 cognitively normal older adults and showed a negative association between LC-TEC EP and cerebrospinal fluid tau. Using Human Connectome Project data, we demonstrated replicability of the method across acquisition schemes and scanners. Finally, we compared our findings with the only other existing LC-TEC tractography template, and replicated their pathway as well as investigated the source of these discrepant findings. CONCLUSIONS AD-related tau pathology may be detectable within GO-ESP-identified LC-TEC pathways. Furthermore, there may be multiple possible routes from LC to TEC, raising important questions for future research on the LC-TEC connectome and its role in AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seraphina K. Solders
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of California at San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Center for Scientific Computation in ImagingUniversity of California at San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Vitaly L. Galinsky
- Center for Scientific Computation in ImagingUniversity of California at San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Scott F. Sorg
- Department of PsychiatrySchool of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Research and Psychology ServicesVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alexandra J. Weigand
- San Diego State University/University of California at San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical PsychologySan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Mark W. Bondi
- Department of PsychiatrySchool of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Research and Psychology ServicesVA San Diego Healthcare SystemSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Lawrence R. Frank
- Center for Scientific Computation in ImagingUniversity of California at San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of California at San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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Ciampa CJ, Parent JH, Harrison TM, Fain RM, Betts MJ, Maass A, Winer JR, Baker SL, Janabi M, Furman DJ, D'Esposito M, Jagust WJ, Berry AS. Associations among locus coeruleus catecholamines, tau pathology, and memory in aging. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1106-1113. [PMID: 35034099 PMCID: PMC8938463 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01269-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the brain's major source of the neuromodulator norepinephrine, and is also profoundly vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related tau pathology. Norepinephrine plays a role in neuroprotective functions that may reduce AD progression, and also underlies optimal memory performance. Successful maintenance of LC neurochemical function represents a candidate mechanism of protection against the propagation of AD-related pathology and may facilitate the preservation of memory performance despite pathology. Using [18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine ([18F]FMT) PET imaging to measure catecholamine synthesis capacity in LC regions of interest, we examined relationships among LC neurochemical function, AD-related pathology, and memory performance in cognitively normal older adults (n = 49). Participants underwent [11C]Pittsburgh compound B and [18F]Flortaucipir PET to quantify β-amyloid (n = 49) and tau burden (n = 42) respectively. In individuals with substantial β-amyloid, higher LC [18F]FMT net tracer influx (Kivis) was associated with lower temporal tau. Longitudinal tau-PET analyses in a subset of our sample (n = 30) support these findings to reveal reduced temporal tau accumulation in the context of higher LC [18F]FMT Kivis. Higher LC catecholamine synthesis capacity was positively correlated with self-reported cognitive engagement and physical activity across the lifespan, established predictors of successful aging measured with the Lifetime Experiences Questionnaire. LC catecholamine synthesis capacity moderated tau's negative effect on memory, such that higher LC catecholamine synthesis capacity was associated with better-than-expected memory performance given an individual's tau burden. These PET findings provide insight into the neurochemical mechanisms of AD vulnerability and cognitive resilience in the living human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Ciampa
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Jourdan H Parent
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Theresa M Harrison
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Rebekah M Fain
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Matthew J Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, 39106, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, 39120, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne Maass
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, 39120, Germany
| | - Joseph R Winer
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Suzanne L Baker
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Mustafa Janabi
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Daniella J Furman
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Anne S Berry
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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26
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Chu WT, Wang WE, Zaborszky L, Golde TE, DeKosky S, Duara R, Loewenstein DA, Adjouadi M, Coombes SA, Vaillancourt DE. Association of Cognitive Impairment With Free Water in the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert and Locus Coeruleus to Transentorhinal Cortex Tract. Neurology 2022; 98:e700-e710. [PMID: 34906980 PMCID: PMC8865892 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000013206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The goal of this work was to determine the relationship between diffusion microstructure and early changes in Alzheimer disease (AD) severity as assessed by clinical diagnosis, cognitive performance, dementia severity, and plasma concentrations of neurofilament light chain. METHODS Diffusion MRI scans were collected on cognitively normal participants (CN) and patients with early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI), late mild cognitive impairment, and AD. Free water (FW) and FW-corrected fractional anisotropy were calculated in the locus coeruleus to transentorhinal cortex tract, 4 magnocellular regions of the basal forebrain (e.g., nucleus basalis of Meynert), entorhinal cortex, and hippocampus. All patients underwent a battery of cognitive assessments; neurofilament light chain levels were measured in plasma samples. RESULTS FW was significantly higher in patients with EMCI compared to CN in the locus coeruleus to transentorhinal cortex tract, nucleus basalis of Meynert, and hippocampus (mean Cohen d = 0.54; p fdr < 0.05). FW was significantly higher in those with AD compared to CN in all the examined regions (mean Cohen d = 1.41; p fdr < 0.01). In addition, FW in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, nucleus basalis of Meynert, and locus coeruleus to transentorhinal cortex tract positively correlated with all 5 cognitive impairment metrics and neurofilament light chain levels (mean r 2 = 0.10; p fdr < 0.05). DISCUSSION These results show that higher FW is associated with greater clinical diagnosis severity, cognitive impairment, and neurofilament light chain. They also suggest that FW elevation occurs in the locus coeruleus to transentorhinal cortex tract, nucleus basalis of Meynert, and hippocampus in the transition from CN to EMCI, while other basal forebrain regions and the entorhinal cortex are not affected until a later stage of AD. FW is a clinically relevant and noninvasive early marker of structural changes related to cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winston Thomas Chu
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Wei-En Wang
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Laszlo Zaborszky
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Todd Eliot Golde
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Steven DeKosky
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Ranjan Duara
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - David A Loewenstein
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Malek Adjouadi
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - Stephen A Coombes
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami
| | - David E Vaillancourt
- From the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering (W.T.C., D.E.V.), Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (W.T.C., W.-e.W., S.A.C., D.E.V.), Department of Neuroscience (T.E.G.); Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (T.E.G.), Department of Neurology (S.D., D.E.V.), and McKnight Brain Institute (S.D., D.E.V.), University of Florida, Gainesville; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (L.Z.), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ; Wein Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D., D.A.L.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (D.A.L.) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.A.L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Center for Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.), Florida International University, Miami.
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27
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Giorgi FS, Lombardo F, Galgani A, Hlavata H, Della Latta D, Martini N, Pavese N, Ghicopulos I, Baldacci F, Coi A, Scalese M, Bastiani L, Keilberg P, De Marchi D, Fornai F, Bonuccelli U. Locus Coeruleus magnetic resonance imaging in cognitively intact elderly subjects. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 16:1077-1087. [PMID: 34741273 PMCID: PMC9107398 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00562-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus is the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain and is often affected in neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging with specific T1-weighted sequences for neuromelanin has been used to evaluate locus coeruleus integrity in patients with these conditions. In some of these studies, abnormalities in locus coeruleus signal have also been found in healthy controls and related to ageing. However, this would be at variance with recent post-mortem studies showing that the nucleus is not affected during normal ageing. The present study aimed at evaluating locus coeruleus features in a well-defined cohort of cognitively healthy subjects who remained cognitively intact on a one-year follow-up. An ad-hoc semiautomatic analysis of locus coeruleus magnetic resonance was applied. Sixty-two cognitively intact subjects aged 60-80 years, without significant comorbidities, underwent 3 T magnetic resonance with specific sequences for locus coeruleus. A semi-automatic tool was used to estimate the number of voxels belonging to locus coeruleus and its intensity was obtained for each subject. Each subject underwent extensive neuropsychological testing at baseline and 12 months after magnetic resonance scan. Based on neuropsychological testing 53 subjects were cognitively normal at baseline and follow up. No significant age-related differences in locus coeruleus parameters were found in this cohort. In line with recent post-mortem studies, our in vivo study confirms that locus coeruleus magnetic resonance features are not statistically significantly affected by age between 60 and 80 years, the age range usually evaluated in studies on neurodegenerative diseases. A significant alteration of locus coeruleus features in a cognitively intact elderly subject might be an early sign of pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Neurology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Francesco Lombardo
- Cardiovascular and Neuroradiological Multimodal Imaging Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio", National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Hana Hlavata
- Cardiovascular and Neuroradiological Multimodal Imaging Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio", National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniele Della Latta
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio", National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Martini
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio", National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Pavese
- Clinical Ageing Research Unit, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Institute of clinical Medicine, PET Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | - Alessio Coi
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Scalese
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Bastiani
- Institute of Clinical Physiology of National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Petra Keilberg
- Cardiovascular and Neuroradiological Multimodal Imaging Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio", National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniele De Marchi
- Cardiovascular and Neuroradiological Multimodal Imaging Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio", National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Fornai
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
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O’Callaghan C, Hezemans FH, Ye R, Rua C, Jones PS, Murley AG, Holland N, Regenthal R, Tsvetanov KA, Wolpe N, Barker RA, Williams-Gray CH, Robbins TW, Passamonti L, Rowe JB. Locus coeruleus integrity and the effect of atomoxetine on response inhibition in Parkinson's disease. Brain 2021; 144:2513-2526. [PMID: 33783470 PMCID: PMC7611672 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive decline is a common feature of Parkinson's disease, and many of these cognitive deficits fail to respond to dopaminergic therapy. Therefore, targeting other neuromodulatory systems represents an important therapeutic strategy. Among these, the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system has been extensively implicated in response inhibition deficits. Restoring noradrenaline levels using the noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine can improve response inhibition in some patients with Parkinson's disease, but there is considerable heterogeneity in treatment response. Accurately predicting the patients who would benefit from therapies targeting this neurotransmitter system remains a critical goal, in order to design the necessary clinical trials with stratified patient selection to establish the therapeutic potential of atomoxetine. Here, we test the hypothesis that integrity of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus explains the variation in improvement of response inhibition following atomoxetine. In a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized crossover design, 19 patients with Parkinson's disease completed an acute psychopharmacological challenge with 40 mg of oral atomoxetine or placebo. A stop-signal task was used to measure response inhibition, with stop-signal reaction times obtained through hierarchical Bayesian estimation of an ex-Gaussian race model. Twenty-six control subjects completed the same task without undergoing the drug manipulation. In a separate session, patients and controls underwent ultra-high field 7 T imaging of the locus coeruleus using a neuromelanin-sensitive magnetization transfer sequence. The principal result was that atomoxetine improved stop-signal reaction times in those patients with lower locus coeruleus integrity. This was in the context of a general impairment in response inhibition, as patients on placebo had longer stop-signal reaction times compared to controls. We also found that the caudal portion of the locus coeruleus showed the largest neuromelanin signal decrease in the patients compared to controls. Our results highlight a link between the integrity of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus and response inhibition in patients with Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, they demonstrate the importance of baseline noradrenergic state in determining the response to atomoxetine. We suggest that locus coeruleus neuromelanin imaging offers a marker of noradrenergic capacity that could be used to stratify patients in trials of noradrenergic therapy and to ultimately inform personalized treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire O’Callaghan
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Frank H Hezemans
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Rong Ye
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Catarina Rua
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge 04107, UK
| | - P Simon Jones
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Alexander G Murley
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Negin Holland
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Ralf Regenthal
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Rudolf-Boehm-Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 69978, Germany
| | - Kamen A Tsvetanov
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Noham Wolpe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Roger A Barker
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
- Wellcome Trust—Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Caroline H Williams-Gray
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
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Plini ERG, O’Hanlon E, Boyle R, Sibilia F, Rikhye G, Kenney J, Whelan R, Melnychuk MC, Robertson IH, Dockree PM. Examining the Role of the Noradrenergic Locus Coeruleus for Predicting Attention and Brain Maintenance in Healthy Old Age and Disease: An MRI Structural Study for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Cells 2021; 10:1829. [PMID: 34359997 PMCID: PMC8306442 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The noradrenergic theory of Cognitive Reserve (Robertson, 2013-2014) postulates that the upregulation of the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system (LC-NA) originating in the brainstem might facilitate cortical networks involved in attention, and protracted activation of this system throughout the lifespan may enhance cognitive stimulation contributing to reserve. To test the above-mentioned theory, a study was conducted on a sample of 686 participants (395 controls, 156 mild cognitive impairment, 135 Alzheimer's disease) investigating the relationship between LC volume, attentional performance and a biological index of brain maintenance (BrainPAD-an objective measure, which compares an individual's structural brain health, reflected by their voxel-wise grey matter density, to the state typically expected at that individual's age). Further analyses were carried out on reserve indices including education and occupational attainment. Volumetric variation across groups was also explored along with gender differences. Control analyses on the serotoninergic (5-HT), dopaminergic (DA) and cholinergic (Ach) systems were contrasted with the noradrenergic (NA) hypothesis. The antithetic relationships were also tested across the neuromodulatory subcortical systems. Results supported by Bayesian modelling showed that LC volume disproportionately predicted higher attentional performance as well as biological brain maintenance across the three groups. These findings lend support to the role of the noradrenergic system as a key mediator underpinning the neuropsychology of reserve, and they suggest that early prevention strategies focused on the noradrenergic system (e.g., cognitive-attentive training, physical exercise, pharmacological and dietary interventions) may yield important clinical benefits to mitigate cognitive impairment with age and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele R. G. Plini
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
| | - Erik O’Hanlon
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
- Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Hospital Rd, Beaumont, 9QRH+4F Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, 152-160 Pearse St, 8QV3+99 Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Rory Boyle
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
| | - Francesca Sibilia
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, 152-160 Pearse St, 8QV3+99 Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Gaia Rikhye
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
| | - Joanne Kenney
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
| | - Robert Whelan
- Department of Psychology, Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Michael C. Melnychuk
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
| | - Ian H. Robertson
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
- Department of Psychology, Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Paul M. Dockree
- Department of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Llyod Building, 42A Pearse St, 8PVX+GJ Dublin, Ireland; (E.O.); (R.B.); (G.R.); (J.K.); (M.C.M.); (I.H.R.); (P.M.D.)
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Grueschow M, Stenz N, Thörn H, Ehlert U, Breckwoldt J, Brodmann Maeder M, Exadaktylos AK, Bingisser R, Ruff CC, Kleim B. Real-world stress resilience is associated with the responsivity of the locus coeruleus. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2275. [PMID: 33859187 PMCID: PMC8050280 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22509-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals may show different responses to stressful events. Here, we investigate the neurobiological basis of stress resilience, by showing that neural responsitivity of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC-NE) and associated pupil responses are related to the subsequent change in measures of anxiety and depression in response to prolonged real-life stress. We acquired fMRI and pupillometry data during an emotional-conflict task in medical residents before they underwent stressful emergency-room internships known to be a risk factor for anxiety and depression. The LC-NE conflict response and its functional coupling with the amygdala was associated with stress-related symptom changes in response to the internship. A similar relationship was found for pupil-dilation, a potential marker of LC-NE firing. Our results provide insights into the noradrenergic basis of conflict generation, adaptation and stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Grueschow
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Nico Stenz
- Division of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hanna Thörn
- Division of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Ehlert
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Breckwoldt
- Medical School, Deanery, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Roland Bingisser
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Division of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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31
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Beardmore R, Hou R, Darekar A, Holmes C, Boche D. The Locus Coeruleus in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: A Postmortem and Brain Imaging Review. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 83:5-22. [PMID: 34219717 PMCID: PMC8461706 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC), a tiny nucleus in the brainstem and the principal site of noradrenaline synthesis, has a major role in regulating autonomic function, arousal, attention, and neuroinflammation. LC dysfunction has been linked to a range of disorders; however particular interest is given to the role it plays in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The LC undergoes significant neuronal loss in AD, thought to occur early in the disease process. While neuronal loss in the LC has also been suggested to occur in aging, this relationship is less clear as the findings have been contradictory. LC density has been suggested to be indicative of cognitive reserve and the evidence for these claims will be discussed. Recent imaging techniques allowing visualization of the LC in vivo using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI are developing our understanding of the role of LC in aging and AD. Tau pathology within the LC is evident at an early age in most individuals; however, the relationship between tau accumulation and neuronal loss and why some individuals then develop AD is not understood. Neuromelanin pigment accumulates within LC cells with age and is proposed to be toxic and inflammatory when released into the extracellular environment. This review will explore our current knowledge of the LC changes in both aging and AD from postmortem, imaging, and experimental studies. We will discuss the reasons behind the susceptibility of the LC to neuronal loss, with a focus on the role of extracellular neuromelanin and neuroinflammation caused by the dysfunction of the LC-noradrenaline pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Beardmore
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Memory Assessment and Research Centre, Moorgreen Hospital, Southern Health Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Ruihua Hou
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Angela Darekar
- Department of Medical Physics, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Clive Holmes
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Memory Assessment and Research Centre, Moorgreen Hospital, Southern Health Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Delphine Boche
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Galgani A, Lombardo F, Della Latta D, Martini N, Bonuccelli U, Fornai F, Giorgi FS. Locus Coeruleus Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neurological Diseases. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2020; 21:2. [PMID: 33313963 PMCID: PMC7732795 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-020-01087-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Locus coeruleus (LC) is the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain, and its degeneration is considered to be key in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. In the last 15 years,MRI has been used to assess LC in vivo, both in healthy subjects and in patients suffering from neurological disorders. In this review, we summarize the main findings of LC-MRI studies, interpreting them in light of preclinical and histopathological data, and discussing its potential role as diagnostic and experimental tool. RECENT FINDINGS LC-MRI findings were largely in agreement with neuropathological evidences; LC signal showed to be not significantly affected during normal aging and to correlate with cognitive performances. On the contrary, a marked reduction of LC signal was observed in patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders, with specific features. LC-MRI is a promising tool, which may be used in the future to explore LC pathophysiology as well as an early biomarker for degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Lombardo
- U.O.C. "Risonanza Magnetica Specialistica e Neuroradiologia", Fondazione "G. Monasterio"- National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Daniele Della Latta
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio"- National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Martini
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione "G. Monasterio"- National Research Council/Tuscany Region, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Fornai
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Neurology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
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33
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Sun W, Tang Y, Qiao Y, Ge X, Mather M, Ringman JM, Shi Y. A probabilistic atlas of locus coeruleus pathways to transentorhinal cortex for connectome imaging in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage 2020; 223:117301. [PMID: 32861791 PMCID: PMC7797167 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the latest Braak staging of Alzheimer's disease (AD), tau pathology occurs earliest in the brain in the locus coeruleus (LC) of the brainstem, then propagates to the transentorhinal cortex (TEC), and later to other neocortical regions. Recent animal and in vivo human brain imaging research also support the trans-axonal propagation of tau pathology. In addition, neurochemical studies link norepinephrine to behavioral symptoms in AD. It is thus critical to examine the integrity of the LC-TEC pathway in studying the early development of the disease, but there has been limited work in this direction. By leveraging the high-resolution and multi-shell diffusion MRI data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP), in this work we develop a novel method for the reconstruction of the LC-TEC pathway in a cohort of 40 HCP subjects carefully selected based on rigorous quality control of the residual distortion artifacts in the brainstem. A probabilistic atlas of the LC-TEC pathway of both hemispheres is then developed in the MNI152 space and distributed publicly on the NITRC website. To apply our atlas on clinical imaging data, we develop an automated approach to calculate the medial core of the LC-TEC pathway for localized analysis of connectivity changes. In a cohort of 138 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), we demonstrate the detection of the decreased fiber integrity in the LC-TEC pathways with increasing disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Sun
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2025 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles 90033, CA, USA
| | - Yuchun Tang
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2025 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles 90033, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yuchuan Qiao
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2025 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles 90033, CA, USA
| | - Xinting Ge
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2025 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles 90033, CA, USA
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John M. Ringman
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yonggang Shi
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2025 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles 90033, CA, USA
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34
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Grueschow M, Kleim B, Ruff CC. Role of the locus coeruleus arousal system in cognitive control. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12890. [PMID: 32820571 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control lies at the core of human adaptive behaviour. Humans vary substantially in their ability to execute cognitive control with respect to optimally facing environmental challenges, although the neural origins of this heterogeneity are currently not well understood. Recent theoretical frameworks implicate the locus coeruleus noradrenergic arousal system (LC-NE) in that process. Invasive neurophysiological work in rodents has shown that the LC-NE is an important homeostatic control centre of the body. LC-NE innervates the entire neocortex and has particularly strong connections with the cingulate gyrus. In the present study, using a response conflict task, functional magnetic resonance imaging and concurrent pupil dilation measures (a proxy for LC-NE firing), we provide empirical evidence for a decisive role of the LC-NE in cognitive control in humans. We show that the level of individual behavioural adjustment in cognitive control relates to the level of functional coupling between LC-NE and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we show that the pupil is substantially more dilated during conflict trials requiring behavioural adjustment than during no conflict trials. In addition, we explore a potential relationship between pupil dilation and neural activity during choice conflict adjustments. Our data provide novel insight into arousal-related influences on cognitive control and suggest pupil dilation as a potential external marker for endogenous neural processes involved in optimising behavioural control. Our results may also be clinically relevant for a variety of pathologies where cognitive control is compromised, such as anxiety, depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Grueschow
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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35
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Mather M, Huang R, Clewett D, Nielsen SE, Velasco R, Tu K, Han S, Kennedy BL. Isometric exercise facilitates attention to salient events in women via the noradrenergic system. Neuroimage 2020; 210:116560. [PMID: 31978545 PMCID: PMC7061882 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) regulates attention via the release of norepinephrine (NE), with levels of tonic LC activity constraining the intensity of phasic LC responses. In the current fMRI study, we used isometric handgrip to modulate tonic LC-NE activity in older women and in young women with different hormone statuses during the time period immediately after the handgrip. During this post-handgrip time, an oddball detection task was used to probe how changes in tonic arousal influenced functional coordination between the LC and a right frontoparietal network that supports attentional selectivity. As expected, the frontoparietal network responded more to infrequent target and novel sounds than to frequent sounds. Across participants, greater LC-frontoparietal functional connectivity, pupil dilation, and faster oddball detection were all positively associated with LC MRI structural contrast from a neuromelanin-sensitive scan. Thus, LC structure was related to LC functional dynamics and attentional performance during the oddball task. We also found that handgrip influenced pupil and attentional processing during a subsequent oddball task. Handgrip decreased subsequent tonic pupil size, increased phasic pupil responses to oddball sounds, speeded oddball detection speed, and increased frontoparietal network activation, suggesting that inducing strong LC activity benefits attentional performance in the next few minutes, potentially due to reduced tonic LC activity. In addition, older women showed a similar benefit of handgrip on frontoparietal network activation as younger women, despite showing lower frontoparietal network activation overall. Together these findings suggest that a simple exercise may improve selective attention in healthy aging, at least for several minutes afterwards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Mather
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA.
| | - Ringo Huang
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA
| | - David Clewett
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, USA
| | - Shawn E Nielsen
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA
| | - Ricardo Velasco
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA
| | - Kristie Tu
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA
| | - Sophia Han
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA
| | - Briana L Kennedy
- University of Southern California, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, USA
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36
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Liu KY, Kievit RA, Tsvetanov KA, Betts MJ, Düzel E, Rowe JB, Howard R, Hämmerer D. Noradrenergic-dependent functions are associated with age-related locus coeruleus signal intensity differences. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1712. [PMID: 32249849 PMCID: PMC7136271 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15410-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC), the origin of noradrenergic modulation of cognitive and behavioral function, may play an important role healthy ageing and in neurodegenerative conditions. We investigated the functional significance of age-related differences in mean normalized LC signal intensity values (LC-CR) in magnetization-transfer (MT) images from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) cohort - an open-access, population-based dataset. Using structural equation modelling, we tested the pre-registered hypothesis that putatively noradrenergic (NA)-dependent functions would be more strongly associated with LC-CR in older versus younger adults. A unidimensional model (within which LC-CR related to a single factor representing all cognitive and behavioral measures) was a better fit with the data than the a priori two-factor model (within which LC-CR related to separate NA-dependent and NA-independent factors). Our findings support the concept that age-related reduction of LC structural integrity is associated with impaired cognitive and behavioral function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Y Liu
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Rogier A Kievit
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kamen A Tsvetanov
- Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN), University of Cambridge and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew J Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN), University of Cambridge and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert Howard
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, London, UK
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Langley J, Hussain S, Flores JJ, Bennett IJ, Hu X. Characterization of age-related microstructural changes in locus coeruleus and substantia nigra pars compacta. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 87:89-97. [PMID: 31870645 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Locus coeruleus (LC) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) degrade with normal aging, but not much is known regarding how these changes manifest in MRI images, or whether these markers predict aspects of cognition. Here, we use high-resolution diffusion-weighted MRI to investigate microstructural and compositional changes in LC and SNpc in young and older adult cohorts, as well as their relationship with cognition. In LC, the older cohort exhibited a significant reduction in mean and radial diffusivity, but a significant increase in fractional anisotropy compared with the young cohort. We observed a significant correlation between the decrease in LC mean, axial, and radial diffusivities and measures examining cognition (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed recall) in the older adult cohort. This observation suggests that LC is involved in retaining cognitive abilities. In addition, we observed that iron deposition in SNpc occurs early in life and continues during normal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Langley
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Sana Hussain
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Justino J Flores
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Ilana J Bennett
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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Trujillo P, Petersen KJ, Cronin MJ, Lin YC, Kang H, Donahue MJ, Smith SA, Claassen DO. Quantitative magnetization transfer imaging of the human locus coeruleus. Neuroimage 2019; 200:191-198. [PMID: 31233908 PMCID: PMC6934172 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the major origin of norepinephrine in the central nervous system, and is subject to age-related and neurodegenerative changes, especially in disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Previous studies have shown that neuromelanin (NM)-sensitive MRI can be used to visualize the LC, and it is hypothesized that magnetization transfer (MT) effects are the primary source of LC contrast. The aim of this study was to characterize the MT effects in LC imaging by applying high spatial resolution quantitative MT (qMT) imaging to create parametric maps of the macromolecular content of the LC and surrounding tissues. Healthy volunteers (n = 26; sex = 17 F/9M; age = 41.0 ± 19.1 years) underwent brain MRI on a 3.0 T scanner. qMT data were acquired using a 3D MT-prepared spoiled gradient echo sequence. A traditional NM scan consisting of a T1-weighted turbo spin echo sequence with MT preparation was also acquired. The pool-size ratio (PSR) was estimated for each voxel using a single-point qMT approach. The LC was semi-automatically segmented on the MT-weighted images. The MT-weighted images provided higher contrast-ratio between the LC and surrounding pontine tegmentum (PT) (0.215 ± 0.031) than the reference images without MT-preparation (-0.005 ± 0.026) and the traditional NM images (0.138 ± 0.044). The PSR maps showed significant differences between the LC (0.090 ± 0.009) and PT (0.188 ± 0.025). The largest difference between the PSR values in the LC and PT was observed in the central slices, which also correspond to those with the highest contrast-ratio. These results highlight the role of MT in generating NM-related contrast in the LC, and should serve as a foundation for future studies aiming to quantify pathological changes in the LC and surrounding structures in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Trujillo
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Kalen J Petersen
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Matthew J Cronin
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ya-Chen Lin
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Hakmook Kang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Manus J Donahue
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Seth A Smith
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Daniel O Claassen
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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Betts MJ, Kirilina E, Otaduy MCG, Ivanov D, Acosta-Cabronero J, Callaghan MF, Lambert C, Cardenas-Blanco A, Pine K, Passamonti L, Loane C, Keuken MC, Trujillo P, Lüsebrink F, Mattern H, Liu KY, Priovoulos N, Fliessbach K, Dahl MJ, Maaß A, Madelung CF, Meder D, Ehrenberg AJ, Speck O, Weiskopf N, Dolan R, Inglis B, Tosun D, Morawski M, Zucca FA, Siebner HR, Mather M, Uludag K, Heinsen H, Poser BA, Howard R, Zecca L, Rowe JB, Grinberg LT, Jacobs HIL, Düzel E, Hämmerer D. Locus coeruleus imaging as a biomarker for noradrenergic dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. Brain 2019; 142:2558-2571. [PMID: 31327002 PMCID: PMC6736046 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological alterations to the locus coeruleus, the major source of noradrenaline in the brain, are histologically evident in early stages of neurodegenerative diseases. Novel MRI approaches now provide an opportunity to quantify structural features of the locus coeruleus in vivo during disease progression. In combination with neuropathological biomarkers, in vivo locus coeruleus imaging could help to understand the contribution of locus coeruleus neurodegeneration to clinical and pathological manifestations in Alzheimer's disease, atypical neurodegenerative dementias and Parkinson's disease. Moreover, as the functional sensitivity of the noradrenergic system is likely to change with disease progression, in vivo measures of locus coeruleus integrity could provide new pathophysiological insights into cognitive and behavioural symptoms. Locus coeruleus imaging also holds the promise to stratify patients into clinical trials according to noradrenergic dysfunction. In this article, we present a consensus on how non-invasive in vivo assessment of locus coeruleus integrity can be used for clinical research in neurodegenerative diseases. We outline the next steps for in vivo, post-mortem and clinical studies that can lay the groundwork to evaluate the potential of locus coeruleus imaging as a biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Evgeniya Kirilina
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria C G Otaduy
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance LIM44, Department and Institute of Radiology, Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Dimo Ivanov
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Christian Lambert
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Arturo Cardenas-Blanco
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kerrin Pine
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Bioimmagini e Fisiologia Molecolare (IBFM), Milan, Italy
| | - Clare Loane
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Max C Keuken
- University of Amsterdam, Integrative Model-based Cognitive Neuroscience research unit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- University of Leiden, Cognitive Psychology, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Paula Trujillo
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Falk Lüsebrink
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Mattern
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kathy Y Liu
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nikos Priovoulos
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Klaus Fliessbach
- Department for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Maaß
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Christopher F Madelung
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - David Meder
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Alexander J Ehrenberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Oliver Speck
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Raymond Dolan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing, University College London, UK
| | - Ben Inglis
- Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Duygu Tosun
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Markus Morawski
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fabio A Zucca
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - Hartwig R Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kamil Uludag
- Centre for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Techna Institute and Koerner Scientist in MR Imaging, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Helmut Heinsen
- University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Clinic of Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, Wurzburg, Germany
| | - Benedikt A Poser
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Howard
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Luigi Zecca
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Segrate, Milan, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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40
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Yebra M, Galarza-Vallejo A, Soto-Leon V, Gonzalez-Rosa JJ, de Berker AO, Bestmann S, Oliviero A, Kroes MCW, Strange BA. Action boosts episodic memory encoding in humans via engagement of a noradrenergic system. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3534. [PMID: 31388000 PMCID: PMC6684634 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11358-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We are constantly interacting with our environment whilst we encode memories. However, how actions influence memory formation remains poorly understood. Goal-directed movement engages the locus coeruleus (LC), the main source of noradrenaline in the brain. Noradrenaline is also known to enhance episodic encoding, suggesting that action could improve memory via LC engagement. Here we demonstrate, across seven experiments, that action (Go-response) enhances episodic encoding for stimuli unrelated to the action itself, compared to action inhibition (NoGo). Functional magnetic resonance imaging, and pupil diameter as a proxy measure for LC-noradrenaline transmission, indicate increased encoding-related LC activity during action. A final experiment, replicated in two independent samples, confirmed a novel prediction derived from these data that emotionally aversive stimuli, which recruit the noradrenergic system, modulate the mnemonic advantage conferred by Go-responses relative to neutral stimuli. We therefore provide converging evidence that action boosts episodic memory encoding via a noradrenergic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Yebra
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Campus Montegancedo, Madrid, Spain.
- Cedars-Sinai 127S. San Vicente Blvd, Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion, 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.
| | - Ana Galarza-Vallejo
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Campus Montegancedo, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vanesa Soto-Leon
- Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, FENNSI Group, Hospital Nacional de parapléjicos Finca la Peraleda s/n 45004, Toledo, Spain
| | - Javier J Gonzalez-Rosa
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Campus Montegancedo, Madrid, Spain
- University of Cadiz, Institute of Biomedical Research Cadiz (INiBICA), Puerta del Mar Hospital, Research Unit, Lab 3, 9th floor, Av. Ana de Viya, 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Archy O de Berker
- Dept Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 33 Queen Square WC1N3BG, London, UK
| | - Sven Bestmann
- Dept Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 33 Queen Square WC1N3BG, London, UK
| | - Antonio Oliviero
- Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, FENNSI Group, Hospital Nacional de parapléjicos Finca la Peraleda s/n 45004, Toledo, Spain
| | - Marijn C W Kroes
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Campus Montegancedo, Madrid, Spain
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Kapittelweg 29, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bryan A Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Campus Montegancedo, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Neuroimaging, Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre, Reina Sofia-CIEN Foundation, Calle de Valderrebollo, 5, 28031, Madrid, Spain
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41
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Olivieri P, Lagarde J, Lehericy S, Valabrègue R, Michel A, Macé P, Caillé F, Gervais P, Bottlaender M, Sarazin M. Early alteration of the locus coeruleus in phenotypic variants of Alzheimer's disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2019; 6:1345-1351. [PMID: 31353860 PMCID: PMC6649639 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.50818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathological studies showed early locus coeruleus (LC) neuronal loss associated with tauopathy in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). We used the LC signal intensity (LC-I) on 3T MRI to assess the LC integrity in AD (n = 37) and controls (n = 17). The LC-I was decreased in AD regardless of typical (amnesic) and atypical presentation (logopenic aphasia/visuo-spatial deficit), from the prodromal stage, and independently of the amyloid load measured by PiB-PET. The LC-I was correlated with memory performance of typical AD. This supports the pathophysiological model in which the LC plays a critical role in AD and may thus be a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Olivieri
- Unit of Neurology of Memory and LanguageUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte AnneParisFrance
- UMR 1023IMIVService Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA, Inserm, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Julien Lagarde
- Unit of Neurology of Memory and LanguageUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte AnneParisFrance
- UMR 1023IMIVService Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA, Inserm, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Stéphane Lehericy
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière ‐ ICM, Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche ‐ CENIRF‐75013ParisFrance
- Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICMF‐75013ParisFrance
| | - Romain Valabrègue
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière ‐ ICM, Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche ‐ CENIRF‐75013ParisFrance
- Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICMF‐75013ParisFrance
| | - Adeline Michel
- Unit of Neurology of Memory and LanguageUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte AnneParisFrance
| | - Pierre Macé
- Unit of Neurology of Memory and LanguageUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte AnneParisFrance
| | - Fabien Caillé
- UMR 1023IMIVService Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA, Inserm, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Philippe Gervais
- UMR 1023IMIVService Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA, Inserm, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Michel Bottlaender
- UMR 1023IMIVService Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA, Inserm, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
- UNIACT, NeurospinCEA, Gif‐sur‐YvetteF‐91191France
| | - Marie Sarazin
- Unit of Neurology of Memory and LanguageUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte AnneParisFrance
- UMR 1023IMIVService Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA, Inserm, Université Paris Sud, CNRS, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
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42
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Abstract
Noradrenaline is a neurotransmitter involved in general arousal, selective attention, memory, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. The purpose of this work was to delineate noradrenergic neurons in vivo by T1-weighted MRI with magnetization transfer (MT). In the brainstem of human and mice, MRI identified the locus coeruleus, dorsal motor vagus nucleus, and nucleus tractus solitarius. Given (1) the long T1 and low magnetization transfer ratio for the noradrenergic cell groups compared to other gray matter, (2) significant correlation between MT MRI signal intensity and proton density, and (3) no correlation between magnetization transfer ratio (or R1) and iron, copper, or manganese in human brain, the high MRI signal of the noradrenergic neurons must be attributed to abundant water protons interacting with any T1-shortening paramagnetic ions in active cells rather than to specific T1-shortening molecules. The absence of a high MRI signal from the locus coeruleus of Ear2(-/-) mice lacking noradrenergic neurons confirms that cell bodies of noradrenergic neurons are the source of the bright MRI appearance. The observation of this high signal in DBH(-/-) mice, in 3-week-old mice, and in mice under hyperoxia/hypercapnia/hypoxia together with the general absence of neuromelanin (NM) in noradrenergic neurons of young rodents further excludes that it is due to NM, dopamine β-hydroxylase, their binding to paramagnetic ions, blood inflow, or hemoglobin. Instead, these findings indicate a high density of water protons whose T1 is shortened by paramagnetic ions as the relevant source of the high MRI signal. In the brain of APP/PS1/Ear2(-/-) mice, a transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease, MRI detected noradrenergic neuron loss in the locus coeruleus. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that a 60-75% reduction of noradrenaline is responsible for a reduction of N-acetylaspartate and glutamate in the hippocampus as well as for a shortening of the water proton T2 in the frontal cortex. These results suggest that a concurrent shortage of noradrenaline in Alzheimer's disease accelerates pathologic processes such as inflammation and neuron loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Watanabe
- Biomedizinische NMR, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Zhengguo Tan
- Biomedizinische NMR, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Xiaoqing Wang
- Biomedizinische NMR, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ana Martinez-Hernandez
- Abteilung Gene und Verhalten, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jens Frahm
- Biomedizinische NMR, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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43
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Liu KY, Acosta-Cabronero J, Cardenas-Blanco A, Loane C, Berry AJ, Betts MJ, Kievit RA, Henson RN, Düzel E, Howard R, Hämmerer D. In vivo visualization of age-related differences in the locus coeruleus. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 74:101-111. [PMID: 30447418 PMCID: PMC6338679 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC), the major origin of noradrenergic modulation of the central nervous system, may play an important role in neuropsychiatric disorders including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The pattern of age-related change of the LC across the life span is unclear. We obtained normalized, mean LC signal intensity values, that is, contrast ratios (CRs), from magnetization transfer-weighted images to investigate the relationship between LC CR and age in cognitively normal healthy adults (N = 605, age range 18-88 years). Study participants were part of the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience-an open-access, population-based data set. We found a quadratic relationship between LC CR and age, the peak occurring around 60 years, with no differences between males and females. Subregional analyses revealed that age-related decline in LC CR was confined to the rostral portion of the LC. Older adults showed greater variance in overall LC CR than younger adults, and the functional and clinical implications of these observed age-related differences require further investigation. Visualization of the LC in this study may inform how future scanning parameters can be optimized, and provides insight into how LC integrity changes across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Y Liu
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Julio Acosta-Cabronero
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Arturo Cardenas-Blanco
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Clare Loane
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alex J Berry
- Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Matthew J Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Rogier A Kievit
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard N Henson
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Robert Howard
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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44
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Elman JA, Panizzon MS, Hagler DJ, Eyler LT, Granholm EL, Fennema-Notestine C, Lyons MJ, McEvoy LK, Franz CE, Dale AM, Kremen WS. Task-evoked pupil dilation and BOLD variance as indicators of locus coeruleus dysfunction. Cortex 2017; 97:60-69. [PMID: 29096196 PMCID: PMC5716879 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Pupillary responses during cognitive tasks are linked to functioning of the locus coeruleus (LC). The LC is an early site of abnormal tau deposition, which may contribute to key aspects of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. We previously found attenuation of pupillary responses to increases in cognitive load in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), suggesting pupillary responses may provide a biomarker of early risk for AD associated with LC dysfunction. The LC modulates cortical activity through two modes of operation: tonic and phasic. Early LC damage has been predicted to result in a state of persistent high tonic LC activity that may disrupt task-related phasic activity. To further examine whether pupillary responses are associated with early LC dysfunction, we measured pupil dilation during a digit span task as a measure of phasic activity, and low frequency BOLD variance (LFBV) during resting-state fMRI in key nodes of the ventral attention network (VAN) as a measure of cortical reactivity related to LC tonic activity in 358 middle-aged men. Individuals with greater LFBV in VAN nodes, i.e., higher tonic brain activity at rest, showed a smaller increase in pupil dilation from low to moderate cognitive loads. Thus, higher tonic LFBV activity at rest was related to reduced task-appropriate phasic dilation increases. The results support predictions from prominent models of LC functioning in which early LC dysfunction leads to persistent high tonic rates of activity during rest and lower signal-to-noise of phasic responses during task performance. Taken together with previous findings of early AD pathophysiology in LC and reduced phasic dilation responses to increased cognitive load in individuals with MCI, the present results suggest that pupillary responses may index early LC dysfunction and should receive further study as a potential biomarker of risk for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Matthew S Panizzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Donald J Hagler
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Lisa T Eyler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; VA San Diego Health Care System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - Eric L Granholm
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; VA San Diego Health Care System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Linda K McEvoy
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Carol E Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Anders M Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - William S Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; VA San Diego Health Care System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
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45
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Angry outbursts are an important feature of various stress-related disorders, and commonly lead to aggression towards other people. Findings regarding interpersonal anger have linked the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) to anger regulation and the locus coeruleus (LC) to aggression. Both regions were previously associated with traumatic and chronic stress symptoms, yet it is unclear if their functionality represents a consequence of, or possibly also a cause for, stress symptoms. Here we investigated the relationship between the neural trajectory of these indicators of anger and the development and manifestation of stress symptoms. METHOD A total of 46 males (29 soldiers, 17 civilians) participated in a prospective functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which they played a modified interpersonal anger-provoking Ultimatum Game (UG) at two-points. Soldiers were tested at the beginning and end of combat training, while civilians were tested at the beginning and end of civil service. We assumed that combat training would induce chronic stress and result in increased stress symptoms. RESULTS Soldiers showed an increase in stress symptoms following combat training while civilians showed no such change following civil service. All participants were angered by the modified UG irrespective of time point. Higher post-combat training stress symptoms were associated with lower pre-combat training vmPFC activation and with higher activation increase in the LC between pre- and post-combat training. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that during anger-provoking social interactions, flawed vmPFC functionality may serve as a causal risk factor for the development of stress symptoms, and heightened reactivity of the LC possibly reflects a consequence of stress-inducing combat training. These findings provide potential neural targets for therapeutic intervention and inoculation for stress-related psychopathological manifestations of anger.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Gilam
- Tel Aviv Center for Brain Function,Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging,Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center,Weizmann 6,Tel Aviv,64239,Israel
| | - T Lin
- Tel Aviv Center for Brain Function,Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging,Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center,Weizmann 6,Tel Aviv,64239,Israel
| | - E Fruchter
- Division of Mental Health,Israeli Defense Force Medical Corp,Tel Hashomer,Military Mail 02149,Israel
| | - T Hendler
- Tel Aviv Center for Brain Function,Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging,Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center,Weizmann 6,Tel Aviv,64239,Israel
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46
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Tona KD, Keuken MC, de Rover M, Lakke E, Forstmann BU, Nieuwenhuis S, van Osch MJP. In vivo visualization of the locus coeruleus in humans: quantifying the test-retest reliability. Brain Struct Funct 2017. [PMID: 28647901 PMCID: PMC5686260 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1464-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a brainstem nucleus involved in important cognitive functions. Recent developments in neuroimaging methods and scanning protocols have made it possible to visualize the human LC in vivo by utilizing a T1-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) scan. Despite its frequent use and its application as a biomarker for tracking the progress of monoaminergic-related neurodegenerative diseases, no study to date has investigated the reproducibility and inter-observer variability of LC identification using this TSE scan sequence. In this paper, we aim to quantify the test-retest reliability of LC imaging by assessing stability of the TSE contrast of the LC across two independent scan sessions and by quantifying the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the TSE scan. Additionally, we created a probabilistic LC atlas which can facilitate the spatial localization of the LC in standardized (MNI) space. Seventeen healthy volunteers participated in two scanning sessions with a mean intersession interval of 2.8 months. We found that for intra-rater reliability the mean Dice coefficient ranged between 0.65 and 0.74, and inter-rater reliability ranged between 0.54 and 0.64, showing moderate reproducibility. The mean LC contrast was 13.9% (SD 3.8) and showed scan-rescan stability (ROI approach: ICC = 0.63; maximum intensity approach: ICC = 0.53). We conclude that localization and segmentation of the LC in vivo are a challenging but reliable enterprise although clinical or longitudinal studies should be carried out carefully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klodiana-Daphne Tona
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, FSW, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Max C Keuken
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, FSW, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Integrative model-based Cognitive neuroscience research unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mischa de Rover
- Clinical Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Anesthesiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Egbert Lakke
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Birte U Forstmann
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, FSW, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Integrative model-based Cognitive neuroscience research unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, An Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sander Nieuwenhuis
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, FSW, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias J P van Osch
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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